Motor vehicle directional valve for adjusting a fluid flow

ABSTRACT

A directional valve for adjusts a fluid flow, such as a coolant flow, is between at least two operating states. The valve includes a valve housing, an adjustable valve member, and a slotted link guide adapted to push the valve member into a sealing contact switching state with the valve housing and to guide the valve member into a releasing operating state shifted back with respect to the sealing contact operating state.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit and priority of German PatentApplication DE 10 2021 100 068.8, filed Jan. 5, 2021, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The application relates to a directional valve, in particular a multidirectional valve, such as a 3/2- or 4/2-directional valve, foradjusting a fluid flow, such as a coolant flow, for example of a motorvehicle. Furthermore, the application relates to a motor vehicle fluidflow control system, such as a motor vehicle thermal management system,having such a valve.

BACKGROUND

Manifold valves of similar kind are used, for example, in a motorvehicle for its thermal management and are used, in particular, todirect coolants, such as water or oils. In the case of known multidirectional valves with rotary pistons as the valve member, there aresealing problems and high frictional forces between the valve member andthe valve housing, in particular the valve seat. Therefore, relativelypowerful actuators must be used to operate the valve members.

DE 10 2013 105 321A1 discloses a multi directional switching valve foradjusting a fluid flow. The multi directional switching valve has apiston that can be adjusted translationally in a valve housing and has awavy outer contour. The valve housing has recesses in which sealingelements are movably arranged transversely to the piston axis. Thesealing elements cooperate with the mountain sections of the wavy outercontour of the piston and are otherwise free of contact with respect tothe outer contour of the piston.

The structural complex design of the multi directional switching valve,in particular for the realization of the piston, has proven to bedisadvantageous. In addition, the assembly is complicated due to thelarge number of parts.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present application to overcome the disadvantagesof the prior art, in particular to improve a directional valve for amotor vehicle fluid flow in such a way that the frictional force betweenthe valve member and the valve housing is reduced and/or lower power ofthe actuator for setting the directional valve is required, inparticular without impairing the tightness of the directional valve.

Accordingly, a directional valve for adjusting a fluid flow, such as acoolant flow, between at least two operating states is provided. Thedirectional valve may, for example, be a multi directional valve, suchas a 3/2-directional or a 4/2-directional valve. The directional valveaccording to the embodiments is used, for example, in a motor vehiclefor its thermal management. Accordingly, the directional valve may be amotor vehicle directional valve, in particular a motor vehicle thermalmanagement valve, such as a motor vehicle coolant valve, which is used,for example, in a motor vehicle fluid flow control system, such as amotor vehicle thermal management control system, in particular a motorvehicle cooling circuit. The fluid flow may be, for example, coolant,water, oil or the like.

The directional valve according to the embodiments comprises a valvehousing. The valve housing can delimit a valve chamber through which thefluid flow can be passed and/or in which a valve member can be movablymounted for setting the various operating states. The valve housing maycomprise at least two, in particular three or four, fluid connections,such as openings or passages, in particular at least one fluid inlet andat least one fluid outlet.

Furthermore, the directional valve comprises an adjustable valve member.For example, the valve member may be coupled to an actuator, inparticular in a power-transmitting manner, which is designed to actuateor position the valve member. The valve member may, for example, be arotary piston rotationally mounted with respect to a rotationalactuating axis. Furthermore, it is possible that the valve member is apiston translationally mounted with respect to an actuation axis.

In accordance with an aspect of the embodiments, the directional valvefurther comprises a slotted link guide configured to push the valvemember into a sealing contact operating state with the valve body and toguide the valve member into a release operating state that shifted backwith respect to the sealing contact operating state. When engaging thesealing contact operating state, the slotted link guide forces the valvemember against the valve housing so that a static friction existingbetween the valve member and the valve housing is continuously increasedin particular. For example, the sealing contact operating state isassigned to one of the fluid connections in the valve housing. Whenleaving the sealing contact operating state, the slotted link guideguides the valve member away from the valve housing, so that the staticfriction existing between the valve housing and the valve member isagain reduced, in particular continuously.

An advantage of the embodiments is that a particularly low-frictionmovement of the valve member within the valve housing is made possiblein a manner that is easy to construct and manufacture. In this respect,the directional valve according to the embodiments is characterized bylow wear and durable long-life cycle. Due to the low frictional forceduring the positioning of the valve member, it is possible to uselower-cost and/or lower-power actuators for actuating the valve member.Provided that the sealing contact operating state is assigned to a fluidconnection to be closed, the slotted link guide according to theembodiments fulfills two advantageous functions: on the one hand, alow-friction, guided movement of the valve member is made possibleduring the adjustment of the valve member and, on the other hand, anincreased frictional force is built up via the slotted link guide forthe fluid-tight closing of the corresponding fluid connection. Since acontact pressure between the valve member and the valve housing onlyoccurs in the closing area, i.e. the sealing contact operating state,the actuating movement of the valve member is essentially frictionless,so that additional sliding and/or sealing measures are also unnecessary.Due to the guided movement during the positioning of the valve member bymeans of the slotted link guide, the valve member is quasi-automaticallypushed into the sealing contact operating state with the valve housingin order to build up the contact pressure, in particular in the closingarea for closing a fluid connection, and is also quasi-automaticallyguided back out of the sealing contact operating state.

In the case of a rotary piston that is rotationally mounted with respectto an axis of rotation, “pushing” can be understood to mean that theslotted link guide pushes the valve member radially outward out of thepurely rotational translational movement in order to reach the sealingcontact operating state with the valve housing, i.e. in order toovercome a radial distance between the valve member and the valvehousing. The “moved back release state” may be understood to mean thatthe slotted link guide returns the valve member, particularly radiallyinward, to the substantially purely rotational actuating motion. Withrespect to the piston valve member embodiment, the slotted link guidecan displace the valve member transversely, in particularperpendicularly, to the translational actuating movement in order toforce it into the sealing contact operating state with the valvehousing. When moving back out of the sealing contact operating state,the slotted link guide can guide the piston valve member back to thetranslational actuating movement direction or path.

In an exemplary embodiment of the embodiments, the slotted link guidehas a slotted link path formed in the valve housing, particularly thevalve housing base, in which the valve member is guided. For example,the slotted link path is made in one piece with the valve housing. Whenthe valve member is set, it travels down the slotted link pathrespectively along the slotted link path, in particular between the atleast two operating states, and during the setting movement inpredetermined rotational or axial positions, depending on the valvemember embodiment, is pushed into a sealing contact operating state andguided out of it again. The fact that the slotted link path can bearranged on the valve member housing or even formed integrally therewithprovides a particularly structurally simple design of the slotted linkguide.

According to an exemplary further development of the directional valveaccording to the embodiments, the slotted link path extends in such away that, when engaging the sealing contact operating state, the valvemember is deflected transversely with respect to its actuating axis inthe direction of a sealing contact area of the valve housing, which can,for example, be defined and/or formed by a valve seat. In the case of arotary piston valve member, the valve member can be deflected radiallyto the rotational actuation axis. In the case of a piston valve member,the piston valve member can be deflected transversely to the translationactuation axis. The sealing contact area of the valve housing can beformed by a valve seat, for example. For example, the valve seat isassociated with a fluid connection.

According to a further exemplary further development of the directionalvalve according to the embodiments, the slotted link guide has apress-on protrusion which extends into the slotted link path, so thatwhen the valve member travels over the press-on protrusion, for examplewhen the valve member travels the press-on protrusion, the valve memberis pushed by the press-on protrusion into the sealing contact operatingstate. Accordingly, the press-on protrusion can cause an evasivemovement of the valve member, whereby a dimension of the press-onprotrusion and thus a movement compensation of the valve member ismatched to a distance to be bridged between the valve member and thevalve housing, which must be overcome to engage the sealing contactoperating state. For example, the slotted link guide can comprise two,three or four press-on protrusions arranged at a distance from eachother. One press-on protrusion can be assigned to each fluid connection.In this way, it can be ensured that the slotted link guide of the valvemember presses in the direction of the valve member in the area of afluid connection in each case to form a sealing contact operating statein order to close the corresponding fluid connection in a fluid-tightmanner. The sealing contact pressure between the valve member and thevalve housing is therefore only built up in the corresponding sealingareas at the fluid connections, i.e. only when it is necessary. In theremaining range of actuating movement, in particular rotational ortranslational range of movement, of the valve member, this can runessentially friction-free.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the directional valveaccording to the embodiments, the slotted link path is formed by a guidegroove introduced into the valve housing, in particular in the valvehousing base. Furthermore, the valve member has a guide protrusionacting as a sliding block and cooperating with the guide groove. Whenthe valve member is set, the guide protrusion of the valve member isguided in the guide groove of the valve housing. In other words, theguide protrusion projects into or engages with the guide groove. Across-section of the guide protrusion may be adapted to an innercross-section of the guide groove shape.

In an exemplary further development of the directional valve accordingto the embodiments, the guide groove is essentially annular in shapewith respect to the rotational actuation axis of the valve member, whichis in the form of a rotary piston, and has a track switch, in particulartwo, three or four track switch distributed in particular uniformly inthe circumferential direction, which deflects or pushes the valve memberout of the annular, regular slotted link path in order to engage thesealing contact operating state. In the case of a translationallyactuable piston valve member, the guide groove can be alignedessentially parallel to the translational actuation axis and have one,in particular two, three or four points distributed in the translationalactuation direction, in particular uniformly, which deflects ordisplaces the piston valve member transversely to the translationalactuation axis. The at least one track switch may further be shapedand/or ensure that the valve member is returned to the regular annularor regular linear actuating path.

According to another aspect of the embodiments, which may be combinedwith the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, there is provideda directional valve for adjusting a fluid flow between at least twooperating states. The directional valve may be, for example, a multidirectional valve, such as a 3/2-directional or a 4/2-directional valve.The directional valve according to the embodiments is used, for example,in a motor vehicle for its thermal management. Accordingly, thedirectional valve may be a motor vehicle directional valve, inparticular a motor vehicle thermal management valve, such as a motorvehicle coolant valve, which is used, for example, in a motor vehiclefluid flow control system, such as a motor vehicle thermal managementcontrol system, in particular a motor vehicle cooling circuit. The fluidflow may be, for example, coolant, water, oil or the like.

The directional valve includes a valve housing. The valve housing candelimit a valve chamber through which the fluid flow can be passedand/or in which a valve member can be movably mounted for setting thevarious operating states. The valve housing may have at least two, inparticular three or four, fluid connections, such as openings orpassages, in particular at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluidoutlet.

The directional valve further comprises a valve member. The valve memberis adjustable, in particular, for setting the at least two operatingstates. It may be a rotary piston rotationally mounted with respect to arotational adjustment axis or a slide valve adjustable along atranslational adjustment axis. The valve member has an adjusting part tobe connected to an actuator for actuating the valve member, inparticular in a force-transmitting manner, and a sealing part for makingsealing contact with the valve housing. The adjusting part and thesealing part can be separate, in particular separately manufactured,components.

According to the further aspect of the embodiments, the sealing part ismovably supported relative to the adjusting part by means of a railguide. The adjusting part may be the component directly actuated by theactuator, while the sealing part is mounted on the adjusting partwithout a separate adjusting part. A relative movement possibility ofthe sealing part relative to the adjusting part is made possible bymeans of the rail guide, which can be moved, for example, when the valvemember is set, i.e., when the valve member is moved between thedifferent operating states, between a sealing contact operating state inwhich the sealing part is positioned relative to the adjusting part bymeans of the rail guide in such a way that a particularly increasedfrictional contact is created between the valve member and the valvehousing, in particular valve seat, for example in the area of a fluidconnection. The rail guide makes it possible to decouple the actuatorand the sealing part in a cost-effective and easy-to-implement manner,so that the rail guide can be used to flexibly adjust the relativemovement of the adjusting part with respect to the sealing part in orderto build up a desired sealing contact pressure at a specific position,in particular in a specific rotational position of the valve member orat a specific axial actuating position. Thus, a particularlylow-friction engagement of the sealing contact within the valve housingcan be made possible in a manner that is easy to construct andmanufacture. In this respect, the directional valve according to theembodiments is characterized by low wear and durable long-life cycle.Due to the low frictional force when the sealing contact is engaged,less expensive and/or lower power actuators can be used for actuatingthe adjusting part.

In an exemplary embodiment of the directional valve according to theembodiments, the rail guide is implemented by a shape-correspondingprotrusion-recess structure on the adjusting part and sealing part. Theprotrusion-recess structure may have engagement elements on theactuating member and sealing part that are associated with each otherand/or shape-matched to each other in such a way that they can engage ineach other to establish the relative mobility of the sealing part withrespect to the actuating member.

In another exemplary embodiment, the valve member may have a sealingcontact operating state in which the sealing part is in sealing contactwith the valve body, and a release operating state that is recessed withrespect to the sealing contact operating state in which the sealing partis moved away from the valve body. For example, the sealing part ispushed towards the valve housing to engage the sealing contact operatingstate. For example, the rail guide may form a type of gear. Accordingly,when engaging the sealing contact operating state, the sealing part canbe pushed radially outwardly with respect to the rotational actuationaxis or transversely with respect to the translational actuation axis,for example, so that a distance existing between the sealing part andthe valve housing can be bridged, so that the sealing part can come intoa press-on sealing contact with the valve housing. When moving away fromthe sealing contact operating state into the reset release operatingstate, the sealing part can be moved away from the valve housing againvia the rail guide, so that a distance in this respect is produced andfriction between the sealing part and the valve housing is reduced, inparticular prevented.

According to an exemplary further development of the directional valveaccording to the embodiments, the sealing part is movably mounted on thecontrol part in such a way that the sealing part is moved away from thevalve housing when leaving the sealing contact, such as under theinfluence of the fluid pressure. Furthermore, it is possible that thesealing part is moved away from the valve housing via a guide devicewhen leaving the sealing contact. As soon as the sealing part is movedaway from the sealing contact in order to set a operating state of thedirectional valve in which a fluid flow through the directional valve ispermitted, in particular through a fluid opening associated with thecorresponding sealing contact, a fluid pressure builds up at the sealingpart, which is shifted back by the latter as a result. The utilizationof the fluid pressure has, among other things, the advantage that thefluid pressure that is present anyway can be used to set the releaseoperating state, in particular without the need for further components,such as a spring preload, a separate gear or a separate moving means forthe sealing part.

In another exemplary embodiment of the directional valve according tothe embodiments, the axis or direction of movement of the sealing partis oriented substantially perpendicular to the actuating axis, inparticular to the rotational actuating axis or to the translationalactuating axis, of the valve member. In this case, the rail guide canserve as a type of gear for converting the various directions ofmovement between the adjusting part and the sealing part.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the directional valve according tothe embodiments, the protrusion-recess structure has a linear guide railon the sealing part or adjusting part and a guide carriage ofcomplementary shape thereto on the adjusting part side or sealing part.The guide rail and/or the guide carriage can/can each be made in onepiece with the sealing part or the adjusting part, respectively. On theone hand, the form-complementary rail-carriage structure can bemanufactured in a simple manner and, on the other hand, it provides aspecific assembly of the sealing part and the adjusting part and furtherprovides a direct guide during the relative movement of the adjustingpart with respect to the sealing part.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the directional valveaccording to the embodiments, the guide rail has an asymmetrical, inparticular substantially cruciform, cross-section. Due to the asymmetry,incorrect assembly is avoided. For example, the adjusting part can havea cruciform guide rail oriented transversely to the rotational actuationaxis or translational actuation axis, onto which the adjusting partguide carriage, which is designed, for example, as ashape-complementary, cruciform recess, by means of which the adjustingpart is pushed or placed onto the guide rail.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the directional valveaccording to the embodiments, the slotted link guide and the rail guideare coupled to one another, in particular matched to one another. Theslotted link guide and the rail guide can be coordinated with oneanother in such a way that the rail guide reacts to the slotted linkguide in order to engage in the sealed-contact operating state and inorder to engage in the release operating state, which is shifted backwith respect to the sealed-contact operating state. The directionalvalve may be configured, or the slotted link guide and the rail guidemay be coordinated and/or coupled, such that the slotted link guideactivates the rail guide.

According to an exemplary further development of the directional valveaccording to the embodiments, the slotted link guide is configured toactivate the rail guide for engaging the sealing contact operatingstate. This can be realized in that the slotted link guide causes thesealing part to be displaced relative to the adjusting part and to bepushed into sealing contact with the valve housing. The engagement ofthe sealing contact operating state can, for example, take place in sucha way that the sealing part is displaced relative to the adjusting partand is pushed in the direction of the valve member to build up a sealingcontact pressure and in the opposite direction to leave the sealingcontact operating state and engage in the release operating state.

According to a further exemplary further development of the directionalvalve according to the embodiments, the sealing part performs aneccentric movement along the slotted link path when the valve member isset. For example, the sealing part performs an eccentric movement insuch a way that the sealing part is pushed into the sealing contactoperating state, in particular by a track switch or a press-onprotrusion, and is shifted back out of the sealing contact exclusivelyunder the influence of the fluid pressure. For example, the sealing parthas the previously described guide protrusion acting as a sliding blockand cooperating with the guide groove in the valve housing. Depending onthe rotational position of the rotary valve member or depending on theaxial position along the translational actuation axis and depending onwhether or not the guide protrusion of the sealing part is located inthe area of a track switch or a press-on protrusion, the sealing part ispushed into a sealing contact pressure state with the valve housing oris shifted back therefrom. The rail guide and the slotted link guide maybe coordinated such that the sealing part is respectively pushed intosealing contact with the valve body in the region of fluid openings tobe closed, for example, to shut off or reduce fluid flow.

According to a further aspect of the embodiments, which may be combinedwith the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, there is providedan motor vehicle directional valve, in particular an motor vehiclethermal management valve, such as an motor vehicle coolant valve, thatmay be configured, for example, according to any of the previouslydescribed aspects or exemplary embodiments, for adjusting a fluid flow,such as a coolant flow.

The motor vehicle directional valve includes a valve housing having atleast two fluid openings. The valve housing may define a valve chamberthrough which the fluid flow may be passed and/or in which a valvemember may be movably mounted for adjusting the various operatingstates. The valve housing can have at least two, in particular three orfour, fluid connections, such as openings or passages, in particular atleast one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet. For example, themotor vehicle directional valve is a multi directional valve, inparticular an motor vehicle 3/2-directional or motor vehicle4/2-directional valve.

Further, the motor vehicle directional valve comprises a valve memberthat is adjustable between a closed state in which the valve member ispushed into sealing contact with the valve housing to fluid-tightlyclose one of the fluid openings, and an open state in which the valvemember is recessed away from the valve housing to at least partiallyopen the fluid opening.

In an exemplary embodiment, which is applicable to all of the previouslydescribed aspects or exemplary embodiments of directional valves ormotor vehicle directional valves according to the embodiments, the valvemember is configured free of a fluid passage. In other words, the valvemember may be configured such that when a fluid flow is allowed to passthrough the directional valve, i.e., when the directional valve is in anopen state, the fluid flow passes the valve member. For example, thevalve member has an at least sectional rotational outer contour so thatthe lowest possible dynamic pressure is formed and/or the fluid flow canflow past the valve member with as little friction as possible.

According to a further aspect of the embodiments, which can be combinedwith the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, there is providedan motor vehicle fluid flow control system, in particular an motorvehicle thermal management fluid flow control system, such as an motorvehicle cooling circuit. The motor vehicle fluid flow guidance systemcomprises a directional valve according to the embodiments, for exampleaccording to one of the aspects or exemplary embodiments describedabove. Further, the fluid flow routing system may be connected to afluid source, such as a coolant reservoir, and/or a motor vehiclecomponent to be cooled, such as an engine component or a motor vehiclebattery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures illustrate principles of the invention according to specificembodiments. Thus, it is also possible to implement the invention inother embodiments, so that these figures are only to be construed asexamples. Moreover, in the figures, embodiments, like any referencenumerals, may correspond throughout the different drawings.

FIG. 1 is a section of a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment ofa directional valve according to the embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a valve housing of the directional valveaccording to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view in exploded view of a valve member of afurther exemplary design of a directional valve according to theembodiments;

FIGS. 4-6 are schematic representations of various operating states ofan exemplary version of a directional valve according to theembodiments;

FIG. 7 is a section of a perspective view of an exemplary furtherembodiment of a directional valve according to the embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a further exemplary embodiment of avalve member of an embodiment of a directional valve according to theembodiments; and

FIG. 9 is a section of a perspective view of a directional valvecomprising the valve member according to FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description of exemplary embodiments on the basis ofthe accompanying figures, a directional valve according to theembodiments, which is in particular a motor vehicle directional valvefor adjusting a fluid flow, such as a coolant flow in a motor vehicle,in particular a motor vehicle engine, is generally provided with thereference numeral 1.

The directional valve 1 according to FIG. 1 essentially comprises thefollowing main components: a valve housing, through which a fluid flowis flowable; and an adjustable valve member 5, which according to theexemplary embodiment is realized as a rotary piston, which is rotatablewith respect to a rotational adjustment axis R for adjusting differentoperating states of the directional valve 1.

The valve housing 3 comprises a plurality of fluid connections or fluidopenings 7, 9, 11, of which at least one fluid inlet and one fluidoutlet are present. FIG. 1 shows that the valve housing 3 is open at thetop and is sealed, in particular fluid-tight, by means of a valve cover13. The fluid cover 13 has a central passage opening 15 through whichthe valve member 5 extends in a fluid-tight manner and in which it isrotationally mounted so that the valve member 5 can be coupled in aforce-transmitting manner to an actuator not shown. The actuator isnecessary to apply the actuating force for actuating the valve member 5,which is required to set the various operating states of the directionalvalve 1. At an end of the valve member 5 projecting from the valve cover13, the latter can form a force transmission part 17 associated with theactuator.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the valve member 5comprises an adjusting part 19 to be coupled to an adjusting part in aforce transmission manner, which adjusting part 19 has the forcetransmission part 17, and a sealing part 21 movable relative to theadjusting part 19, which sealing part 21 is designed for the purpose ofa sealing contact operating state, in which the sealing part 21 closesone of the fluid openings 7, 9, 11 in a fluid-tight manner, and also arelease operating state, in which the sealing part 21 opens the fluidopenings 7, 9, 11, so that a fluid flow through the respective openings7, 9, 11 is permitted. The sealing part 21 has a seal 25, such as anearring seal, on an end sealing surface 23 which is oriented radiallyoutwards with respect to the rotational actuation axis R and whichserves as a sealing face, in order to achieve an improved fluid-tightclosure of the fluid openings 7, 9, 11. The relative mobility forchanging between sealing contact operating state and release operatingstate, will be discussed further below.

The valve housing 3, which is rotationally shaped and has essentially acup shape, has a closed valve housing base 27. A central pivot bearing29 for the valve member 5, in particular its adjusting part 19, isprovided in the valve housing base 27. The pivot bearing 29 comprises abearing recess 33, which is bounded in particular by a circumferentialwall 31 and into which a bearing journal 35 of the sealing part 21extends. The bearing journal 35 is rotatable received within the bearingrecess 33. Further, the bearing journal 35 is oriented substantiallyconcentrically with respect to a shaft 37 of the adjusting part 19extending along the rotational actuation axis R.

The engagement of the sealing contact operating state for fluid-tightclosure of the fluid openings 7, 9, 11 as well as also the release ofthe individual fluid openings 7, 9, 11, i.e. The engagement of therelease operating state, is achieved via a coupling and matching of aslotted link guide 39 and a rail guide 41. The slotted link guide 39serves to push the valve member 5, in particular the sealing part 21,into the sealing contact operating state with the valve housing 5 and toguide the valve member 5, in particular the sealing part 21, out of thesealing contact operating state into a reset release operating state.

The rail guide 41 thereby acts as a kind of gear for converting a changein movement imposed by the slotted link guide into a displacement of thesealing part 21. The slotted link guide 39 has a slotted link path 43formed in the valve housing 3, namely the valve housing base 27, andmade in one piece with the valve housing 5, in which the valve member 5,in particular the sealing part 21, is guided. The slotted link path 43is formed by a guide groove 45 formed in the valve housing 3, which isoriented in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotationalactuation axis R. The guide groove 45 forms a closed ring in thecircumferential direction so that the sealing part 21 guided therein canbe continuously adjusted 360°. The sealing part 21 is guided andsupported within the guide groove 45 by means of a guide protrusion 51,53 provided on an top side 47 oriented in the direction of therotational adjustment axis R and on the opposite bottom side 49 of thesealing part 21. It is also conceivable that the sealing part 21 hasonly a single guide protrusion 51, 53. The guide protrusion 51, 53projects into the guide groove 45 in the direction of the rotationalsetting axis R and slides along the guide groove 45 in the radialdirection during a rotational setting movement of the valve member 5. Inthis case, the guide protrusion 51, 53 acts as a sliding block andcooperates with the guide groove 45 to support and guide the valvemember 5. In accordance with the embodiments, a directional valve withsignificantly reduced friction between the valve member 5 and the valvehousing 3 is provided in a structurally simple manner, so that wear onthe components is significantly reduced and less expensive actuators canbe used, while at the same time ensuring sufficient tightness thesealing contact operating state. The advantages are achieved, amongother things, by applying a particularly radial contact pressure forsealing the fluid openings 7, 9, 11 only when it is necessary, i.e. whenthe directional valve 1 is switched in such a way that a fluid opening7, 9, 11 is to be closed.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a valve body 3, from which the baffle guide39 can be seen. According to FIG. 2, the guide groove defining theslotted link path 43 extends in the circumferential direction andconcentrically with respect to the rotational actuation axis R and isbounded by two groove walls 55, 57 spaced apart in the radial direction.The radially inner groove wall 55 is part of a circumferential web 56 orprotrusion which forms or bounds the guide groove 45. The guideprotrusion 53, 51 may be shape-matched with respect to a cross-section,particularly a radial cross-section, of the guide groove 45 so that whenthe valve member 5 is positioned and the guide protrusion 51, 53 travelsalong the slotted link path 43, the guide protrusion 53, 51 may be insliding contact with the groove walls 55, 57. The guide groove 45 isadjusted, or the sealing part 21 and the guide groove 45 are adjusted toeach other, so that when the valve member 5 is moved in the area betweeneach two adjacent fluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11, there is no radialcontact pressure and thus no radial frictional resistance between thesealing part 21 and the valve housing 3. In other words, the guidegroove 45 is dimensioned such that the sealing part 21 is shifted backradially inwards with respect to a sealing contact operating state inwhich the sealing part can come into fluid-tight sealing contact withthe valve housing 3, so that there is no frictional contact between thesealing part 21 and the valve housing 3. Thus, there is a radialdistance between sealing part 21 and valve housing inner wall 4.

To ensure sufficient sealing contact for fluid-tight closure of thefluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11, the guide groove in the exemplaryembodiment according to FIG. 2 has four points or press-on protrusions59 distributed in the circumferential direction with respect to therotational setting axis R. The press-on protrusions 59 are arranged onthe radially inner groove wall 57 and extend radially outwards withrespect to the rotational setting axis R. Furthermore, one press-onprotrusion 59 each is associated with one fluid opening, 7, 9, 10, 11,and is oriented concentrically with respect to a central axis throughthe respective fluid opening 7, 9, 10, 11, so that, for engaging thesealing contact operating state in the course of a rotational actuatingmovement of the valve member 5 about the rotational actuating axis R,the sealing part 21 is pushed radially outwardly by the press-onprotrusions 59 in the direction of the valve housing 3 in order to buildup a radial contact pressure for fluid-tight closure of the respectivefluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11. Accordingly, the press-on protrusions 59cause the sealing part 21 to be deflected or deflected transversely, inparticular radially, with respect to the axis of rotational adjustment.The relative movement option of the sealing part 21 relative to theadjusting part 19 is realized, as already described, by means of therail guide 41.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the rail guide 41 isimplemented on a protrusion-recess structure on the adjusting part 19and sealing part 21, which, according to FIG. 1, has a straight guiderail 61 on the adjusting part, which, according to FIG. 1, is formed bya pair of guide rail elements extending in parallel, and comprises aguide carriage 71 on the sealing part, which is complementary in shapeto the guide rail 61. According to FIG. 1, the guide carriage 71 isarranged on an inner side of a guide component 65 facing and associatedwith the adjusting part 19 by means of a recess which is adapted inshape with respect to the guide rail 61, which guide component 65 isadapted in shape with respect to a guide part 67 on the adjusting partfacing and associated with the sealing part 21 and is pushed or pluggedonto the latter. As a result of the fact that the press-on protrusions59 are assigned to and face the fluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11, theadjusting part 19 is pushed radially outwards by the press-onprotrusions 59 and by means of the guide rail-guide carriage structureon the adjusting part 19 and the sealing part 21 to engage the sealingcontact operating state in order to build up a radial contact pressure.

FIG. 3 is another exemplary embodiment of a two-part valve member for adirectional valve 1 according to the embodiments. For clarity, thesealing part 21 and the adjusting part 19 are configured in adisassembled state relative to each other. The essential differencebetween the embodiment according to FIG. 3 and the embodiment accordingto FIG. 1 is the realization of the rail guide 41. While in theembodiment according to FIG. 1 the sealing part 21 is pushed by means ofthe guide component 65 on the adjusting part onto an associated guidepart 67 of the adjusting part or placed on it from the outside, theguide component 65 according to FIG. 3 is designed in such a way that itis pushed into an associated recess 69 in the force transmission part ofthe adjusting part 19.

For example, the guide component 65 can have a cross-shapedcross-section, in particular an asymmetrical cross-section. The sameapplies to the recess 69, so that incorrect assembly is prevented. InFIG. 3, the webs of the cruciform cross-section form the respectiveguide rails 61 of the rail guide 41. The recess 69, which is cruciformin cross-section and has a complementary shape, has associated guidecradles which slide along one another during a relative movement of thesealing part 21 and the adjusting part 19. It should be understood thatit is also possible, for example, for the guide component 65 and theguide part 67 of sealing part 21 and adjusting part 19, respectively, tobe of exactly the opposite design, so that the guide part 67 ofadjusting part 19 comprises the cruciform guide rails 61, while theguide component 65 comprises the circular guide cradles, so that in turnguide part 67 of adjusting part 19 is pushed or inserted into guidecomponent 65 of sealing part 19.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show, analogously to FIG. 2, a schematic top view of avalve housing 3 which, in contrast to the embodiment according to FIG.2, has only three fluid connections 7, 9, 11, and in which a valvemember 5, designed for example according to FIG. 3, is arranged. FIGS. 4to 6 show different operating states based on the different rotationalpositions of the valve member 5 within the valve housing 3. FIGS. 4 to 6show a rotational switching movement of the valve member 5 from asealing contact operating state, in which the fluid opening 7 is closedfluid-tight (FIG. 4), to a sealing contact operating state with respectto the fluid opening 11 (FIG. 6). FIG. 5 shows a pivoted state in whichall fluid openings 7, 9, 11 are at least partially uncovered.

A synopsis of FIGS. 4 to 6 shows the interaction of slide guide 39 andrail guide 42 according to the embodiments. The sealing contactoperating state according to FIG. 4, the sealing part 21 is pushedradially outward into sealing contact with the valve housing inner wall4 with respect to the adjusting part 19 by the slotted link guide 39 andby means of the rail guide 41, in order to build up a radial contactpressure with respect to the valve housing inner wall 4, so that thefluid opening 7 is closed as fluid-tightly as possible. As alreadymentioned, the radially outward urging of the sealing part 21 relativeto the adjusting part 19 is effected by the cooperation of link guide 39and rail guide 41. The guide protrusion 53 of the sealing part 21, whichis guided within the guide groove 45 and accommodated therein, isdeflected radially outward in a form-fitting manner by means of thepress-on protrusion 59, which is associated with the fluid opening 7, asa result of which the corresponding guide rails and guide carriages onthe sealing part and closing part slide along one another via the railguide 41 in order to move the entire sealing part 21 radially outward.The increased radial distance between the sealing part 21 and therotational actuating axis R can be seen, for example, by the radialdistance of the sealing part guide rail 61 relative to the adjustingpart 19 within the recess 69, which forms the guide carriage 71,compared to the design shown in FIG. 5, in which the valve member isshown in the pivoting range between two sealing contact closing states.

In FIG. 5, it can be seen that the sealing part 21 is recessed radiallyinward. This can be seen, on the one hand, from the fact that there is aradial distance between the valve housing inner wall 4 and thesealing/contact surface 23 and, furthermore, from the fact that radiallyon the inside, an inner side 73 of the sealing part 21 opposite thesealing/contact surface 23 has clearly approached a stop surface 75 ofthe adjusting part 19, which is formed by an end wall bounding therecess 69. Furthermore, it can be seen within the recess 69 that theguide rail 61 is offset back radially inwards. This is related to thefact that the guide protrusion 53 guided in the guide groove 45continues to follow the guide groove walls 55, 57 of the guide groove 45defining the slotted link path 43, which are offset radially inwardlyrelative to the press-on protrusions 59 in a pivoting region between twoadjacent fluid openings 7, 9, 11, so that the guide protrusion 53 andconsequently the entire sealing part 21 are also offset radiallyinwardly.

It is also conceivable, for example, that the radial backwarddisplacement of the sealing part 21 takes place in particularexclusively under the influence of the acting fluid pressure when afluid opening 7, 9, 10, 11 is opened. The operating state according toFIG. 6 is to be understood analogously to the sealing contact operatingstate according to FIG. 4, whereby in FIG. 6 another fluid opening,namely the fluid opening 11, is closed in a fluid-tight manner. Theoperation for forming the sealed-contact operating state is carried outin an analogous manner. In all valve states according to FIGS. 4 to 6,it can be seen that the valve member 5 does not have a fluid passagethrough which the fluid flow passes in an opening or release state ofthe valve member. The fluid flow within the valve housing 5 flowscompletely past or around the valve member 5.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation in a similar perspective as inFIG. 1 of a further exemplary embodiment of a directional valve 1according to the embodiments. The embodiment according to FIG. 7 differsfrom the embodiment according to FIG. 1 essentially by the embodiment ofthe rail guide 41, which is realized according to FIG. 7 correspondingto the embodiment of the valve member 5 from FIG. 3. Furthermore, it canbe seen in FIG. 7 that the slotted link guide 39 is realized accordingto the embodiments in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6.

The slotted link guide according to FIG. 1 is to be understood in such away that the sealing part 21 is moved back radially inwards when leavingthe sealing contact operating state (FIG. 4; FIG. 6) essentiallyexclusively under the influence of the fluid pressure of the incomingfluid flow in order to reduce, in particular to prevent, the frictionalcontact between the sealing part 21 and the valve housing inner wall 4.In FIG. 7, the guiding of the sealing part 21 from the sealing contactoperating state into the radially recessed release operating state issupported by the correspondingly shaped radially outer guide groove wall55 (see in particular FIG. 2). In this respect, the sealing part 21 ishere also pushed out of the sealing contact operating state in thedirection of the release operating state.

In FIG. 7, it can also be seen that the sealing part 21 is configureddifferently from the sealing part 21 according to FIG. 1 with respect tothe accommodation of a sealing element. The sealing part 21 has passageopenings 77 oriented substantially radially with respect to therotational axis R, and through which a sealing part can be mounted fromthe radially outer sealing/contact surface 23. The seal may be injectedor inserted, for example, with the passage openings 77 serving to allowelastomeric material to be injected and bonded into the passage openings77, particularly during injection of, for example, an elastomeric seal.The passage openings 77 can also have an undercut with respect to theinjection or insertion direction for positive and/or non-positivecoupling of sealing part 21 and sealing element.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a further exemplary embodiment of a valve member 5,which according to FIG. 9 is used in a further exemplary directionalvalve 1 of the embodiments and is accommodated within a valve or fluidhousing 3. In contrast to the preceding embodiments, the valve member 5has two sealing parts 21 opposite each other in the radial directionwith respect to the rotational actuating axis R, in particular ofidentical shape, which are coupled to each other by means of a matchingrail guide 39 in order to realize in each case a possibility of relativemovement of the two sealing parts 21 with respect to the single, centraladjusting part 19. The valve member 5 according to FIGS. 8 and 9 isparticularly suitable for a 4/2-directional valve, wherein two opposingfluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11 can be closed simultaneously by means of thevalve member 5. By means of the valve member 5 designed in this way, ineach case two opposite fluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11 are closed and thetwo further opposite fluid openings 7, 9, 11, 10 are released. In otherwords, the permitted fluid flow through the valve housing 3 takes placein a straight line via two fluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11, which are inparticular aligned opposite each other.

For guiding the fluid flow through the valve housing 3 and, inparticular, through the valve member 5, in particular without flow loss,the valve member 5 according to FIGS. 8 and 9 comprises a central fluidpassage 79 which fluidically connects the two fluid openings 7, 9, 10,11 to be released. An opening cross-section of the fluid passage 79 maybe shape-matched with respect to an opening cross-section of the fluidopenings 7, 9, 10, 11 of the fluid housing 3. The fluid passage 79 isoriented transversely, in particular perpendicularly, on the one handwith respect to the rotational actuation axis R and on the other handwith respect to the direction of relative movement of the two adjustingparts 21 with respect to the adjusting part 19. In FIG. 9 it can be seenthat when the valve member 5 is pivoted or adjusted, a guide protrusion53 of each of the two sealing parts 21 is accommodated within the guidegroove 45 in the valve housing 3 defining the slotted link path 43 andslides along within the guide groove 45 when the valve member 5 isadjusted. Due to the matching of the slotted link guide 39 and the railguide 41, which is also present in this embodiment, the two sealingparts 21 are simultaneously pushed radially outwardly into the sealingcontact operating state with the respective fluid opening 7, 9, 10, 11by a respective press-on protrusion 59 associated with each of the twoopposing fluid openings 7, 9, 10, 11 to be closed. Leaving the sealingcontact operating state also occurs analogously and simultaneously forboth sealing parts 21.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, the figures and theclaims may be of importance both individually and in any combination forthe realization of the various embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCES

-   1 directional valve-   3 valve housing-   4 valve housing inner wall-   5 valve member-   7, 9, 10, 11 fluid opening-   13 cover-   15 passage opening-   17 force transmission part-   19 adjusting part-   21 sealing part-   23 sealing surface-   25 seal-   27 valve housing base-   29 bearing-   31 circumferential wall-   33 recess-   35 bearing journal-   37 shaft-   39 slotted link guide-   41 rail guide-   43 slotted link path-   45 guide groove-   47 top side-   49 bottom side-   51, 53 guide protrusion-   55, 57 groove wall-   56 circumference land-   59 press-on protrusion-   61 guide rail-   63 guide rail element-   65 guide component of sealing part-   67 guide component of the adjusting part-   69 recess-   71 guide carriage-   73 Inner side-   75 arrestor contact surface-   77 passage opening-   79 fluid passage

1. A directional valve for adjusting a fluid flow between at least twooperating states, the directional valve comprising: a valve housing; anadjustable valve member; and a slotted link guide configured to push thevalve member into a sealing contact operating state with the valvehousing and configured to guide the valve member into a releasingoperating state shifted back with respect to the sealing contactoperating state.
 2. The directional valve according to claim 1, whereinthe slotted link guide comprises a slotted link path formed in a valvehousing base, and made in one piece with the valve housing, wherein thevalve member is guided by the slotted link guide.
 3. The directionalvalve according to claim 2, wherein the slotted link path, when engagingthe sealing contact operating state, extends such that the valve memberis deflected radially with respect to its rotational actuating axis inthe direction of a sealing contact surface of the valve housing.
 4. Thedirectional valve according to claim 3, wherein the slotted link guidehas a plurality of press-on protrusions arranged at a distance from oneanother, which extend into the slotted link path, such that when thevalve member travels over at least one of the press-on protrusions, thevalve member is pushed by that at least one of the press-on protrusionsinto the sealing contact operating state.
 5. The directional valveaccording to claim 2, wherein the slotted link path is formed by a guidegroove, wherein the valve member has a guide protrusion acting as asliding block and cooperating with the guide groove.
 6. The directionalvalve according to claim 5, wherein the guide groove is annular in shapewith respect to the rotational adjusting axis (R) of the valve memberformed as a rotary piston and has a track switch distributed in thecircumferential direction, which deflects the valve member out of theannular slotted link path for engaging the sealing contact operatingstate.
 7. A directional valve for adjusting a coolant flow between atleast two operating states, the directional valve comprising: a valvehousing; and a valve member having an adjusting part to be connected toan actuator in a force-transmitting manner, and having a sealing partfor making sealing contact with the valve housing, the sealing partbeing movably mounted relative to the adjusting part by a rail guide. 8.The directional valve according to claim 7, wherein the rail guide isrealized by a shape-corresponding protrusion-recess structure on theadjusting part and the sealing part.
 9. The directional valve accordingto claim 7, wherein the valve member can engage the sealing contactoperating state when the sealing part is in sealing contact with thevalve housing, and can engage the releasing operating state when thesealing part is moved away from the valve housing.
 10. The directionalvalve according to claim 7, wherein the sealing part is movably mountedon the adjusting part in such a way that the sealing part is moved awayfrom the valve housing when leaving the sealing contact under theinfluence of the fluid pressure.
 11. The directional valve according toclaim 10, wherein the axis of movement of the sealing part is orientedsubstantially orthogonal to the actuating axis, in particular rotationalactuating axis, of the valve member.
 12. The directional valve accordingto claim 8, wherein the protrusion-recess structure has a linear guiderail arranged on the sealing part or on the actuating member, furtherwherein a guide carriage is arranged on the actuating member or on thesealing part and is complementary in shape.
 13. The directional valveaccording to claim 12, wherein the guide rail has an asymmetrical andsubstantially cruciform cross-section.
 14. The directional valveaccording to claim 13, wherein the slotted link guide and the rail guideare matched to one another.
 15. The directional valve according to claim14, wherein the slotted link guide is configured to displace the sealingpart relative to the adjusting part and to push it into a sealingcontact with the valve housing in order to engage the sealing contactoperating state.
 16. The directional valve according to claim 15,wherein the sealing part performs an eccentric movement along theslotted link path when the valve member is set in such a way that thesealing part is pushed into the sealing contact operating stator by atrack switch or a press-on protrusion, and is shifted back out of thesealing contact under the influence of the fluid pressure.
 17. Thedirectional valve according to claim 7, further comprising: a slottedlink guide configured to push the valve member into a sealing contactoperating state with the valve housing and configured to guide the valvemember into a releasing operating state.
 18. A motor vehicle directionalvalve for adjusting a fluid flow of a coolant, the motor vehicledirectional valve comprising: a valve housing having at least two fluidopenings; and a valve member adjustable between a closed state, in whichthe valve member is pushed into a sealing contact with the valve housingto fluid-tightly close one of the fluid openings, and an open state, inwhich the valve member is shifted back away from the valve housing to atleast partially open the fluid opening.
 19. The motor vehicledirectional valve according to claim 18, wherein the valve member isfree of a fluid passage.
 20. The motor vehicle directional valveaccording to claim 18, further comprising: a slotted link guideconfigured to push the valve member into a sealing contact operatingstate with the valve housing and configured to guide the valve memberinto a releasing operating state.